Hap Day

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CanadaCanada  Hap Day Ice hockey player
Hockey Hall of Fame , 1961
Date of birth June 1, 1901
place of birth Owen Sound , Ontario , Canada
date of death 17th February 1990
Place of death St. Thomas , Ontario , Canada
size 180 cm
Weight 79 kg
position Left wing
Shot hand Left
Career stations
1921-1922 Collingwood Sailors
1922-1924 Hamilton Tigers
1924-1927 Toronto St. Patricks
1927-1937 Toronto Maple Leafs
1937-1938 New York Americans

Clarence Henry "Hap" Day (born June 1, 1901 in Owen Sound , Ontario ; † February 17, 1990 in St. Thomas , Ontario) was a Canadian ice hockey player (defender) and coach who worked for Toronto St Patricks and Toronto Maple Leafs and New York Americans, respectively, in the National Hockey League .

Career

Day's cheerful disposition earned him the nickname "Happy" as a child . Over the years this was abbreviated to “Hap” . After learning to play ice hockey in his hometown of Owen Sound, he moved to Toronto to go to university to study pharmacy . He played for the university team and was considered one of the best players and skaters outside of the National Hockey League. One of his games was attended by Charlie Querrie , owner of Toronto St. Patricks, and Bert Corbeau , one of his star players at the time. It was clear to both of them after the game that they had to win Day for their NHL team. Day wanted to concentrate on his studies but was persuaded with a salary of $ 5,000 and a promise not to miss too many lectures.

On December 10, 1924, he made his debut in the NHL. He played left winger in a storm series with Jack Adams and Babe Dye . After his first season he switched to defense. In his time the St. Patricks were renamed Maple Leafs and he successfully deposited his career aspirations with the new owner Conn Smythe . In the newly captured Maple Leaf Gardens , the management offered him business premises in which he opened his pharmacy . Since 1926 he became the team captain because of his leadership skills . Apart from an injury to the Achilles tendon in 1928, he was spared serious injuries. Together with King Clancy , signed in 1931 , he formed one of the best defensive duos of his time. In the 1931/32 season , the Maple Leafs had moved to the Maple Leaf Garden. In the playoffs, Day scored a decisive goal in the semifinals against the Montreal Maroons . His equalizer brought the second game into overtime , in which the Leafs secured a place in the final series. There Day scored another three goals and won his first Stanley Cup with Toronto . He played his last active season in 1937/38 for the New York Americans .

Two years as a referee followed before returning to the Maple Leafs. Coach Dick Irvin had left Toronto for Montreal and Conn Smythe didn't hesitate, but immediately brought Day back into the franchise as the new head coach . In the following years he was the most successful coach in the NHL. In his first year, the Maple Leafs failed in the semifinals in seven games against the Boston Bruins . The following year his team reached the finals, but after the first three games were lost against the Detroit Red Wings , the title seemed to be missed again. With a few changes in the squad, Day got his team back into the race. In one of the most spectacular final series of the Stanley Cup, the Maple Leafs won the title in 1943. He repeated this success in 1945 and beginning in 1947 three times in a row. After he stepped down from the coaching position in 1950, he became assistant to General Manager Conn Smythe. During this time, the Leafs won another Stanley Cup in 1951. In 1957 he then took over the post of General Manager for one year.

In 1961 he was honored with the induction into the Hockey Hall of Fame .

NHL statistics

Seasons Games Gates Assists Points Penalty minutes
Regular season 14th 586 86 116 202 596
Playoffs 9 51 4th 7th 11 56

Sporting successes

Personal awards

Web links

personal data
SURNAME Day, Hap
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Day, Clarence Henry (real name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Canadian ice hockey player
DATE OF BIRTH June 1, 1901
PLACE OF BIRTH Owen Sound , Ontario
DATE OF DEATH 17th February 1990
Place of death St. Thomas, Ontario